[This is the important part. Listening. The finger that has been resting over Trevor's ring now does the simplest action of all: lacing their fingers together and squeezing with a perfected gentleness that no one outside the other two would know that the vampire holds too much strength.

Words aren't useful in these moments either. What can the vampire say? Nothing is going to make it better, and it's wrenchingly awful to hear.

Eventually there are words. Calm and rational and loving.]

What was a defense mechanism at first became a problem.

[Alucard knows that he can't say more than that. He squeezes Trevor's hand.]

If this doesn't work, we'll keep working until we find something that does. I promise.